Heartache and Hope (Heartache Duet #1)(76)

She sits up to remove her blazer, and then she unbuttons her top, dropping them both on the floor by the bed. I hold on to her hips, guide her until she’s straddling my lap. I pull at the front of her bra. “Off.”

She complies and then lies on top of me, her bare breasts against my chest. I run a hand down her spine while the other settles on the back of her head.

“Thank you for coming,” I tell her.

She smiles against my skin. “I haven’t yet.”

A chuckle erupts from deep in my chest, and she sits up again, starts removing her skirt. I place my hands on hers, stopping her. “Can this stay on?”

She eyes me, questioning.

I don’t bother hiding my grin. “And the socks, too.”

“Oh, God,” she says through a giggle. “Do you have some weird schoolgirl kink?”

I shrug. “I didn’t know I had one until you walked into class the first day of school.”

“The first day?” she asks, incredulous, eyes widening.

I nod. “I’ve wanted you since the first time I saw you.”

She leans down, bites down on my collarbone. “So now that you have me, what do you plan on doing with me?”

My hands are already under her skirt, pulling down her underwear.

We spend the rest of the afternoon in my bed, under the sheets, in a state of half-naked. We tease, and we touch, and we taste, and we go as far as we can without going all the way. We’re lazy and we’re carefree, taking breaks to eat or nap, to laugh and to talk and to just be. With each other. Within the four walls of my bedroom, we find peace in each other’s arms, find solace in each other’s touch, and find a home in each other’s hearts… even if the space is limited.





Chapter 45





Ava





It’s the most time I’ve been able to spend with my boyfriend in weeks, and it’s in the form of a giant poster just outside the school gym. I had no idea that it was going to be there. I heard a few girls in my English class talking about it, so I had to check it out for myself.

I sit on the wall opposite with my paper bag lunch and make myself comfortable, smiling at the picture of him with a ball held at his side, standing tall. The poster takes up the entire height of the wall, and I couldn’t be prouder.

I take out my phone, snap a picture of myself eating my sandwich with the poster behind me, and send it to him with the caption:

If I can’t have the real you, I’ll have the next best thing.





I don’t expect him to respond, because I know he’s spending the lunch break on a conference call with his coach and agent.

“Damn, you look good, babe!” I whisper, holding my sandwich in the air as if I’m toasting him.

“What the hell are you doing?” I recognize the voice as Rhys’s and look up to see him walking toward me. His gaze shifts between fake-Connor and myself, and I say, “Talking to my boyfriend, who I miss dearly.”

Rhys laughs, plants his ass down next to me. “Yeah, he’s putting in the work at the moment. No off days for that kid.”

I nod.

“It’s nothing against you, A. You know that, right? He’s just trying to get as much exposure as possible.”

“I know,” I tell him. “I get it.”

He opens my paper bag and peers inside. Then he takes an apple and bites into it. I quirk an eyebrow. “You know I’m poor now, right? That apple was all I had for the rest of the day.”

Chuckling, he reaches into his pocket and pulls out his wallet. He hands me a twenty. “I hear that’s the going rate for an apple these days.”

Shrugging, I shove the cash in my bra. He can spare it.

“How’s your mom?” he asks.

I stare up at twelve-foot Connor. “I’m kind of getting over that question, to be honest.”

“Fair,” Rhys says. “Manage to get your license yet?”

“No.” I haven’t even gotten my permit. “I should really look into doing that with all the spare time I have.”

“You’re feisty right now.”

“I’m feisty always.”

“True. So how are you and Connor doing?”

“I don’t know.” I turn to him. “How are you and the rotating door of girls doing?”

He chuckles. “It’s been slim pickins ‘round these parts,” he drawls.

“You should head over to West High. I’m sure there are plenty of girls there looking for a sugar daddy.”

His nose scrunches. “I’m not that desperate yet.”

I shoulder him, shoving him sideways. “You’re a jerk.”

He straightens up, throws his arm around my shoulders, then looks up at fake-Connor. “Hey, Ledger. I’m making moves on your girl. Whatcha gonna do about it?”

Out of nowhere, Connor appears. “Get your hands off my girl before I rip them off and glue them to your balls.”

“Oooh,” I tease, giggling. “You’re in trouble now.”

Rhys removes his arm, slides a good foot away from me. “We were just playing.”

Connor sits down next to me at the same time Rhys gets to his feet. “I’d love to stay and be a third wheel and all but… no… I don’t really want to. Peace out, fuckers.” And then he’s gone, disappearing around the same corner from which Connor appeared.